Preparation of VO2/PVDF composite film and its modulating optical performance

Thermochromic VO₂ nanoparticles have been dispersed into PVDF film by a scraping-coating technique. The structure and optical-thermal properties of the prepared composite film were investigated by XRD, SEM, UV–Vis–NIR and FTIR spectroscopy. Results showed that the solar reflectance and IR transmittance of the VO₂/PVDF composite film can be controlled by adjusting the amount of VO₂. To an extent, these composite films demonstrated a tunable solar diffuse reflectance and IR switching capability through phase transition. On the other hand, the thermal stability of the composite films doped with VO₂ nanoparticles was not prominently changed, but the char residue increased significantly with the increase of the VO₂ quality.